When I arrived earlier than normal to school in my teaching years, I felt like I had time to converse before the first bell signaled the beginning of another hectic day. Scanning the hallways, I discovered a place of silence. Walking back to the teacher’s lounge, the students present were tuned out, listening to music with ear buds on, preventing any chances for a meaningful conversation.
Modern parents have been convinced by government agencies that spanking is wrong. Thus, fear has been replaced with the silent treatment. Unfortunately, sending kids to time out isn’t always punishment. While the social may feel like they have been sent to solitary confinement, quiet children enjoy the place of silence.
Psalm 115:7 introduces the Bible’s readers to a new concept of hell, the place of silence. This imagery brings a new perspective of hell, combining loneliness with time out. When your time on earth runs out, there only 2 possible destinations, heaven or hell. Either you will find a destination where your cries for help go unheard. Or you will enter a place where your tears will be wiped away. Take the advice of Moses by choosing life today, Deuteronomy 30:15-17.
To most American children, visiting Disney World is like a rite of passage. I still remember my first visit, seeing Snow White’s Castle, going on a steam boat and riding on “It’s a Small World.” The fascination with this magical place continues today, enticing families with the promise,” if you wish upon a star your dreams will come true.”
When I started this blog back in February of 2012, I never imagined that I would write 1000 articles. Initially, I wanted to keep my writing skills sharp in case I felt called to go back into teaching. However, now this journey is preparing me of a dream to become a screen writer for Hollywood. While this may years away, you won’t find me wishing upon a star.
When you open up the Bible, there are thousands of passages that contain hope. Yet, few compare with Jesus’ words in Mark 11:24. One of the crucial elements to make dreams come true is belief. When doubt exists, prayers go unanswered. Therefore, if you want your dreams to come true, don’t wish upon a star. Instead, place your trust in the One who has the power to make all things possible, Luke 1:37.
If you believe everything happens for a reason, then my first full time teaching position after college was a blessing in disguise. Tucked away in the Monongahela National Forest, I spent the Spring Semester of 1993 counseling, teaching and tutoring junior high students who were considered career underachievers. The learning never stopped, continuing through breakfast, lunch and dinner. My only true break was for 40 minutes, from 12:20-1:00 pm, Monday thru Friday. Titled 20/20 Time, students and teachers spent 40 minutes in solitude either on a hillside, in the valley or along the banks of a stream. The goal of this exercise was to spend 20 minutes reflecting and 20 writing. To my amazement, I developed a love for journaling; eventually inspiring 12 songs that formed my first album, A Simple Confession.
For those of us who love food, eating is like a race to see who can devour a meal the fastest. Yet, for businessmen, savvy entrepreneurs and relational individuals, meals are maximized to get work done, explore new opportunities or develop permanent meaningful lasting relationships. Prior to the rise in youth sports, families spent 30-60 minutes a day at their kitchen table talking . Now, some households eat out breakfast, lunch and dinner, working meals around busy schedules. Although hunger is a natural part of the body, appetites can vary from delicacies to worldly obsessions. Realizing this truth, Jesus introduced a new concept for his listeners to digest, “hunger and thirst for righteousness,” Matthew 5:6.
The Psalms of the Bible illuminate how to hunger and thirst after righteousness. Beginning in Psalm 1:1-3, the author compares this type of individual with an evergreen, a tree that stays green throughout the year. Known as conifers, the key to this tree is its root system. When planted near a creek, river or stream, daily nutrients are widely available. The spiritual dimension to this analogy can be found in Joshua 1:8, where meditating on the Bible day and night results in a similar outcome. Therefore, if you want to maximize your own meals, start by consuming the Word of God before every breakfast, lunch and dinner. If this concept takes ahold of your heart, soul and mind, then will resemble the tree in Psalm 1. This leads me to the chorus from one of the first songs the Holy Spirit inspired me to write, Psalm 1.
“I want to be the tree, down by the river”
“I want to be the tree, down by the bank”
“I want to be the tree, that walks and talks like Jesus”
“Reaching out for nourishment by staying in God’s Word.”
Adults have different styles of communication, producing a wide range of reactions, even within their own children. The authoritarian will claim, “this is the way its always been so there is no highway option.” Meanwhile the laissez faire, who are often soft spoken will allow flexibility, offering little resistance to correction. This broad spectrum of coaching, parenting and or teaching leaves a gap, with many blanks to fill in between to properly convey crucial information.
As I child, I remember hearing daily pleas such as “wash your hands, brush your teeth and think before you speak.” Maybe I was naive, but I never questioned or wondered why these things were so important. I simply assumed by father knew best so I tried my best to follow directions. While reading the Old Testament last week, I stumbled upon the source of my dad’s first command, Leviticus 15:11.
Before the invention of microscopes, God understood how germs spread. Thus, to combat this concern, the Lord told Moses to tell the Israelites to wash their hands after going to the bathroom or before eating. Although Obsessive Compulsive Disorder has influenced many to go to extremes, washing your hands is a simple way to remain healthy. As Paul Harvey says in his famous radio deliveries, “Now you know, the rest of the story!”
Whether you are involved in a local church, little league or school, most volunteers often get used and abused. Subsequently, burnout occurs within the first few weeks, month or year, leaving organizations scrambling to find a reliable helpers every season. Depending upon what study you quote, on average 10 percent of a groups’ volunteers does 90 percent of the work. This raises the question, “what’s the secret behind volunteerism?”
As a former coach and teacher, I struggled to find more than three willing families to assist me annually. If I could spread their commitment and passion to others, I might be a famous motivational speaker by now. However, recently I have stumbled upon a few crucial ingredients that transformed the nation of Israel from self centered individuals into servants willing to pitch in.
Beginning in Exodus 35:4-19, Moses makes his plea to the people, similar to a PTA meeting as a vision is cast for what needs to be done in the forseeable future. Once information has been conveyed, its up to the people involved to rise to the occasion. Although not as sexy as modern speeches, Moses addresses each need one by one, asking for supplies and workers. After listening, each family withdrew to contemplate their role in the big picture of God’s plan, unveiling the secret behind volunteerism in Exodus 35:20-29.
1) Consider the cost before you agree to say yes.
2) Commit to only what you can, without feeling guilty or regret.
3) Come with a willingness to complete the role you have signed up for.
4) Only give based upon the moving of your heart since God loves a cheerful giver.
5) Donate anything you don’t need, use or plan on doing anything with in the future.
6) Find the place or role where you can be an asset for your community.
7) Put the needs of others in front of yourself as giving results in priceless moments.
When you stop for a moment and take a look at what’s really going on in the world around us, its head scratching. Students killing or sleeping with teachers? The glorification of abortion, giving woman who are pregnant the legal right to destroy human life? Lying as a religious practice to deceive curious minds about to realize the truth? Copy cat school shootings, seeking 15 minutes of fame? Nudity on public television and in prime time?
The only logical explanation for these bizarre acts is a growing phenomena, known as situational ethics. Instead of maintaining a set of moral absolutes, where there is a clear distinction between right and wrong, situations are now giving individuals other rational choices. Thus, in the heat of the moment or deep within the context of your trial, good excuses for sin can be made. Dictionary’s refer to situational ethics as a system that evaluates acts in the context of their circumstances rather than by a set of moral standards.
This concept is nothing new as Jesus indirectly mentions it during a famous sermon found in Matthew 5:21-26. Referencing the 6th commandment, the Lord chooses the word murder, not kill. Thus, in war, killing is acceptable since the situation dictates a kill or be killed mentality. When war breaks out between nations, right and wrong is turned upside down. How then can someone know what is right or what can individuals rely on for a moral compass?
In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis devotes an entire chapter entitled Some Objections. Lewis talks about the Law of Human Nature which states “human beings have a curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain manner guided by their conscience, but despite these inclinations to do the right thing, they do not follow this law, breaking it through deviating behavior. Beside war, the herd instinct, self-preservation and motherly love steers people to take drastic measures based upon the extant of the storm or situation.
Today, these factors have blinded innocent hearts, naive minds and desperate souls from looking beyond the here and now. With tomorrow hard to reach for many, ethics don’t seem that important as surviving today is the goal. In John 18:33-38, a governor called Pilate called for a private meeting with Jesus. In his heart, Pilate knew Jesus was innocent. In fact, his own wife had a dream telling her to warn her husband about Jesus. Although the clear response was in view, the situation urged Pilate’s own sinful nature to do the wrong thing.
Life is like years of trial and error. I’ve spent 44 years getting it wrong day after day. Yeah, the easy thing to do is blame the situation or the hand you’ve been dealt by God. However, the temple within you expects more, 1 Corinthians 6:12-20. May the God above your situation take you to a better place this Christmas season. Reach out to the One who can so you the way, John 14:6.
One hundred and six years prior to William Seymour’s preaching which transformed downtown Los Angeles, many Americans had abandoned God. According to a 17th century historian, Ian Murray reports this moral decay in the book Revival and Revivalism. Based upon his research, 1799 was one of the darkest periods for followers of Jesus in the United States. Church attendance rapidly declined, mock communions were often held on college campus’ and committed prayers dwindled down to a few. Religious persecution grew, causing the weak to deny their faith and true believers to meet in secret, fearful of being targeted by a growing godless culture. When all seemed lost, America experienced its first great spiritual awakening in 1800 through an outpouring of the Holy Spirit like the day of Pentecost in Acts 2.
A century later, another movement was on the verge of breaking loose, but this time it began across the pond in England. Leonard Ravenhill, a 20th century historian on revival went to the origin of this spiritual outbreak to see what elements precipitated God’s presence in the form of the Holy Spirit. Behind average at best preaching and worship, an anointing of prayer led to an outpouring of confession. As a result, the area crime rate dropped to zero as prisons became empty. By the time police were being laid off, churches hired these men to direct the traffic in and around prayer, teaching and revival meetings. Reaching beyond the church doors, miners felt compelled to stop cursing and swearing, resulting in retraining of mules since they didn’t know how to respond to kind words.
As a black man living in Houston, William Seymour was forced to sit outside the main lecture area, listening to God’s teaching through an open door in a hallway. Attending Charles Parham’s Bible School in 1905, Seymour did not allow his one blind eye to quench his thirst for God’s Word. Introduced to the teaching of glossolalia, known today as speaking in tongues, William felt called to take this teaching to the streets of LA. On a street called Azusa, Seymour founded the modern Pentecostal movement as the gifts of the Holy Spirit spread like wildfire across the country. Oppressed by theology, Seymour believed God is the same yesterday, today and the future, including spiritual gifts in his belief system.
Today, spiritual gifts tend to be divisive, separating the body of Christ instead of uniting under the guise of light. Both sides of the argument can assume equal blame as some churches disregard Paul’s teaching regarding orderly worship mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12 & 14. Meanwhile, the frozen chosen have grown cold, lacking love and a sense of respect when it comes to discussing theology in a god honoring manner. As for me, I’ve been on both sides of this issue throughout my life. However, currently, I believe there are traces of Azusa Street in the future for America and across the world. Go no further than South Korea and Nigeria’s revival in the past 10 years to realize, God is not done with mankind. Therefore, as you live day to day, don’t be surprised if traces of Azusa make their way to your own street corner.
Whenever you earn any type of leadership position, a cultural change occurs. Instead of being one of the girls or guys, now you are forced to make decisions which impact co-workers and friends. In other words, you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. This social climate makes it lonely at the top.
Such is the case of Moses in Exodus 17:1-4, as he finds it impossible to please the same people he freed from 400 years of slavery. After a few days in the desert, a spirit of ungratefulness snowballs into endless complaints. Like a bunch of spoiled brats, Israel can’t find contentment, only panic, Exodus 14:10-12. Despite witnessing one of the greatest miracles of all time, the parting of the Red Sea, Israel whines for water, food and real meat. By the time Exodus 17:4 rolled around, Moses felt like his life was in danger.
According to James 3:1, those who teach will be judged more strictly than blue collar workers. In view of this, those who receive positions over others, whether in administration, coaching or instructing, you must be mindful of God’s principles. Matthew 18:1-6 makes it painfully obvious, “don’t lead a child astray by your actions, behavior or words.” Therefore, keep a tight rein on your tongue, James 3:3-6, as you seek to become a source of salt and light, Matthew 5:13-16, in a world looking for answers.
Beginning in the summer of 2005, I was under the gun, forced to complete the requirements for my teaching certification if I wanted to keep my job at a local high school. Once I had finished the initial steps, jumping through all of the hoops, I was expected to reapply every 2 years. The only hurdle I had to endure was a graduate level Methods course during the odd numbered years. Thus, I took 3 classes over 6 summers, where I needed to incorporate the principles of each subject into my current curriculum. Prior to submitting my final paper, I had to give an honest assessment of my strengths and weaknesses. This report served as a guide, fine tuning my classroom management skills as well as providing cutting edge ideas to assess students.
The occupation of teaching is unlike any job I have had before. There is an emotional connection with students, especially those whom you see traces of yourself in them. When you leave the property, you are still working, talking to parents at sporting events, calling back others about concerns or responding to emails about a question on an upcoming assignment. Instead of clocking in and out, teaching is non-stop for 9 months. However, in the summer your work is never done as classes change, curriculum needs to be updated and material is constantly in a state of flux. Despite being one of the most rewarding positions I have ever held, its by far the most draining, a perfect cure for those struggling to fall asleep.
Nonetheless, on October 31st, 2013, Halloween Night, my teaching certification will finally expire. Part of me hoped something would come up, opening a new door so I didn’t throw away 10 years of experience. However, the realist in me saw the writing on my financial wall, unable to support a family on a Private School’s teaching salary. If life is a set of stages, at the end of this month I will exit stage left like Bugs Bunny in an episode years ago, using my abilities in a new arena at Amazon. As for now, all I can do is apply the principles of Romans 12:1-2, expecting God’s will for my life to come into clear focus. Before time runs out on your current position or status, make sure you take a deep breath, reflecting upon the words of Philippians 3:8-9.
As a former teacher, there were many days I talked to blank stares, bowed heads and confused faces. Maybe the topic I spoke on was boring, students stayed up too late the previous night or I was tuned out by their minds, not as entertaining as their favorite television stars. However, one of the main reasons people don’t listen is because deep down inside, they probably don’t believe what you saying applies, will change or impact their lives.
Moses encounters a similar experience within Exodus 6:9-12, confused by Israel’s response to the message God gave him. Based upon verse 9, the distress of slavery and the wear and tear of beat downs by Egyptian officials took a toll on their hearts. After approaching a 4th generation of bondage, it appears no one could foresee the miracle God was waiting to perform.
This mentality is alive and well today, made stronger by an I know it all attitude. If you include opinions, political views and well defined worldviews, breaking down the walls to clear communication is extremely challenging. This likely explains why Jesus used the phrase “you have ears but don’t hear and eyes but do not hear,” addressing the Pharisees for their stubbornness. May the Holy Spirit help you conquer this worldwide dilemma, 1 Corinthians 2:9-16, to influence those whom you come in contact with daily.
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